Shock absorber



Juli] 3l, 1923. l

U.S.LANG

sHocx ABS ORBERy vFiled Jan. e,

1921 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 P IL July 31, 1923.

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J. S. LANG SHOCK. ABSORBER Filed Jain. a, 1921 Patented July '31, 1923.

c f` Laatst,

t' JAMES Si LANG, 'OF WATETOVJN, MASSACHUSETTS.

.jf ing parts.V

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' Application sied January e, 1921. semi No'. 435,936.

To allee/tom t man] concern.'

VBe it known that l, JAMES S. LANG, of Watertown, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, a citizen of the' United States, have invented a newand useful Improvement in VShock Absorbers, of whichthe following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in explaining its nature.

The present invention relates to a shock absorber especially designedto be used in connection with automobiles or other vehicles and constitutes essentially an improvement in the type of shock absorber shown and described in Letters Patent of' the United States No. 1,269,289, granted me June 11, 1918, and kalso my Letters Patent of the United States No. 1,379,191, of May 24, 1921. -The object of my invention is to increase the efficiency and make more perfect the typ@ of Shock absorber Ydescribed in my patents before mentioned.

The improved shock absorber constituting my invention can best be seen and understood by reference to. the drawings, in vwhich L n y Figure 1 shows the device in front eleva'- ytion. Y

Fig. 2 is a side elevation.

Fig. 3 isl an elevation on line 3 3 of Fifr. Y

Fig. 4l is a vertical section of the device.

Fig. la is a vertical section of the-device in slightly lmodified form and to vwhich special `reference. will later be made.

Fig. 5 is a vertical section of the device showing the engaging position of the operat- Fig. 6 Ais a cross section of the device. Figs. 7 and 8 are plans showing certain details of construction. V

1 isthe friction bladel preferably made in two-sections 2 and 2 vand provided with an attachable end v3,.' The bladesection 2 is preferably tapered, its thickness' generally end. 1 v

.Engaging' the blade sections 2 and V27a-re friction shoes 4, 5 and 6.-

j. The vshoes are nested together tobe movable in a restricted endwise direction on increasing` in the direction of itsattaohable 'of the keeper. en

and relativelyxto.theii-ky carrier and likewise have. a permitted-movement of translation relatively `to vthe friction blades, substantially as described in my said Patent'yN- 1,379,191. During their endwise movement the shoes runen rollers 9 interposed between the shoe 6. and the back of the carrier, and

.a spring 10 loca-ted within the back of the carrier acts normally to throw the shoesin the direction of the attachable end of the blade sections and into what will later be 'referred to as Ytheir engaging position rela.

tively tothe blade sections. l.

Thegeneral structure Aand arrangementof i the blade sections,shoes and carrier and their` modeofjoperationare substantially .as shown andxdescribed in my said Patent No.`1,379,191 excepting the manner in which pressure is applied for constricting `the unit .comprising the blade sections and shoes and to which changed manner of applying pressure reference will now be made.7

'Secured to spaced bosses 11 on opposite sides of the carrier 7 andlocated beyond the L forward end-V or open face of the carrier is a keeper 12 preferably in the nature of a rectangular plate secured tothe carrier by bolts 13vwhich vare threaded and, fit into the bosses 11.

Arranged 'within the. keeper `vis' al: bow

spring 15 of considerable 'tensiolnfvand-preff erably made' up of 'a number of leaves. The spring isA soarranged that-,lts outturned or central body portion projects in the direction s ,of the shoe 4 with the oppositeends of the 'spring ,engagingtheinner fa'ce of the keeper. The spring is preferably sliaped'to present a1 central portion substantiallyequal vin width to the widthr ofthe keeper and-thence nar i..

rowing te the ends of the spring; These ends at the points oftheir engagement Vwith the .innert-ace of the keeper lieloosely-within a raised ribfojr flanger 16ewith which thennder eral displacement, permitting, however, of

flattened in the direction side of'theleeper is provided and which acts toholdtlie spring againstendwise and lat.v

posed betweenthe ybearing 17 and a lbearing member or bearing 17 may be supported in any suitable manner. As shown, the member is secured `to a crossbar 2O journaled to turn in ears 21 downturned from the inner side of the keeper at one end thereof.

The bearings 17 and 19 y are provided, respectively, with surfaces 22, 23, on which the roller runs as the shoes are movedrrelaf tively to the carrier. During Asuch movement the roller is held .against ylateral .displacement by spaced anges 24 on the bearing 17, .while its travel in .reverse directions is limited and defined vby spaced fianges25 on the bearing19, the respective sets of langes24, 25 .forming a socket within which vthe roller is contained.

HrThe surfaces. 22, 2B on `which `the roller runs are so relatively .disposed that, at the bottom ,end of the socket within .which the roller 18 iis contained, the distance separating thesurfaces,substantially equals thedi ameter of the roller, assuming thespring 15 to be `under little or no compression, but from this end of the socket the surfaces gradually converge to the opposite end ofthe socket. .Consequently as the shoes are movable upon the carrier the roller will Vbe actuated to exert throughthe bearing 17 a. gradually increasing or a gradually diminishing `,pressure upon .the spring 15. Pressure thus exerted tends to flatten the spring in the direction of the keeper with the resulting effect that the tensionof the spring will exert pressure upon opposite sides of y the unit comlpriszing the yblade sections and .shoes tendii'ig to .Constr-ict the same and thereby increase the friction bearing of the shoes against the bladefsections. Such pressure .of the spring .is exerted `back through the-roller 18 against the shoe 4land also through the carrier 7 and rollers 9 against the shoefi. y 4The opera-tion -is .as follows1- It will first be assumed that the attachable ends of the :blade sections are secured to the spring supporti-ng the vehicle or to the body of the vehicle directly by any suitable fastening (not shown) and that the attachable end ofthe carrier is attached either' to that portion `of the spring secured tothe axle or to the axle itself by any suitable fastening (not shown). It will also be assumed that the blade sect-ions are occupying a relationship partially drawn out from the. -nest of friction'shoes and that the spring 10 has tended to throw the blade sections in the direction `of their attachable end and in consequence the roller 18 has been moved to a position between the surfaces 22 and 23 where it will tend to flatten the spring 15 and pressure be thereby applied to the? frictionV shoes for Vpressing them against the blade sections as above outlined. This, in other words, is the normal 'position of Vthe operati-ng parts.

Assuming, now', that the operation of the vehicle hastended to compress the vehicle spring. Thereupon theVv blade sections will move downwardly throughthe nest of friction shoes. As this action :continues the friction grip of the Yshoes upon theblade sectionswill gradually tend, owing to the increasing thickness of the section 2, to overcome the tension of the spring 10. That is,theblade sections will finally move downwardly to a pointwhere they will carry the shoes with them and thereupon move the shoes to the limit of their downward endwise movement limited -by the ycarrier as aforesaid. During such -movement of `the shoes the sp1-ing 10 will be compressed and the roller 1Sn1oved into `a position where it will no longer tend to compress -the spring 15, accordingly freleasing the pressure against the friction shoes;r Thereupon the progress of the blade sections through the shoes will continue substantially unimpeded until the vvehicle spring'hasreached a point of full compression and with the resulting tendency for the vehicle spring Ato vrebound with Athe usual backlash. At the instant this occurs the blade sections will be suddenly drawn upward and the spring 10 will return the shoes 4to their initial engaging position when pressure will be applied to the shoes by the return of the roller 18 to a -position .vhere it will tend to flatten the spring 15 with the resulting action above explained. Pressure lthus applied to the shoes will tend to govern the backlash of the vehicle spring and prevent a too disruptive action. As the retraction of the vehicle spring continues lthe blade sections .will continue to lbe dra-wn out of the nest of shoes, the pressure of the shoes against the blade sections becoming gradually less and less as the section 2 decreases in thickness until the vehicle spring resumes its normal position when the action is repeated as the vehicle spring is again compressed.

Instead of the roller 18 operating lbetween lsurfaces 22, -23 for -{iattening the spring 15 .as above explained, lthere may be employed an elliptical roller 18 as shown in Fig. la operating between bearings 22, 23', the elliptical roller 18 being substantially the same type of roller as that shown and described in my said patent and functioning substantially Vas described in said patent.

I also prefer that the *rollersl 9 interposed between the shoe and the back of the carrier should be elliptical rollers as described in said patent for assisting in flattening the spring 15 during the operation of the device, for it will be apparent that by employing such type of roller the carrier will be displaced laterally during the operation of the device and by such displacement tend either toiiatten the spring 15 orY enable it to relax dependent upen the direction of movement of the shoe 6v which initially operates to actuate the rollers.

Apart from the function imparted to the rollers as above described it Will also be observed that the rollers act as. frictioneliminating members or elements upon which the shoes may ride, thereby improving the device in point of facility of operation and eliminatingwear.

It is apparent that the degree of pressure imparted to the friction shoes for pressing them against the blade sections will depend upon the position of the keeper. I have accordingly provided means whereby the keeper may be adjustable in order that the variation in pressure may be obtained. Such adjustment is effected simply by turning the bolts 13 by Which the keeper is secured to the carrier, in or out with relation to the carrier, the adjustment of the bolts, in other Words, giving adjusted position to the keeper. After the adjustment of the bolts and keeper has been obtained the heads 26 of the bolts will slip into sockets 27 with which the outer face of the keeper is provided, the tension of the spring l5 against the keeper acting to press the keeper against the heads of the bolts and thereby maintain the bolts Within the sockets when the keeper will act as a lock to prevent accidental turning of the bolts.

Having thus fully described my IlVeH-I` tion, I claim and desireto secure by Letters Patent of the United States In a shock absorber, the combination comprising a. friction blade, a friction shoe arranged to engage ysaid blade, a carrier for the shoe with relation to which the shoe is retained to have a. limited endvvise movement, a keeper fixedto the carrier and occupying a. position spaced from the outer side of said shoe, a tension member interposed between said keeper and said shoe adapted When actuated to exert pressure for pressing said shoe against said blade, a bearingmovable With said tension member, means for pivotally supporting said bearing, a bearing on said shoe, and amember interposed between said bearings, said bearings and interposed member prese'nting surfaces co-operating with one another whereby said interposed member may have a determinate rolling contact with said bearings during the endvvise movement of said shoe relatively to the carrier and simultaneously with 'such rolling Contact said bearings be displaced laterally in relation to one another for actuating said tension member to eXert pressure as aforesaid.

JAMES Si LANG. 

